Chapter 289: Chapter 290: All You Need to Know Is My Name, Ye Liangchen

Translator: 549690339

Central City, outside the South Gate.

The queue proceeded slowly, as the guarding disciples checked the identities of the passing cultivators meticulously.

Li Xiaobai beckoned, signaling a guard from the front to come over for a talk.

The guard approached with a puzzled look on his face.

“What is it?”

“Sir, are you conducting such strict inspections of the passing cultivators because of that Li Xiaobai?” Li Xiaobai asked.

“Indeed, do you have information about him?” the guard inquired.

“Heh heh, truth be told, I harbor a grudge against that Li Xiaobai. A few days ago in the Western Desert, he stole my Space Ring, leaving me impoverished in an instant. My years of hard-earned accumulation went down the drain. I came here to crush him thoroughly in the Three Sects Tournament!”

Li Xiaobai’s face was marked by anger, a look of deep resentment etched across it.

“You? He is the second placer in the Elixir Sect competition, stronger than the geniuses of the Medicine King Hall. What do you have to compete with him?”

The guard looked incredulous, thinking that Li Xiaobai was merely causing trouble.

“Sir, you may look down on my appearance, but you should not underestimate my cultivation level. I can swear by my Daoist heart that I, Ye Liangchen, will be the first in the Qi Sect competition!”

Li Xiaobai declared emphatically, drawing sidelong glances from the surrounding cultivators. To swear by one’s Daoist heart required immense confidence!

Moreover, his rival was none other than the prodigy Li Xiaobai whose reputation might not be the best, but whose strength was undeniable. He had caused a commotion in the Elixir Sect and left unscathed; his cultivation level was definitely not something ordinary talents could match.

For a moment, the cultivators whispered among themselves, curious about the identity of this Ye Liangchen.

“Are you truly willing to swear by your Daoist heart? If you really can crush Li Xiaobai, what if I let you in?” the guard asked slowly, secretly eager to witness Li Xiaobai’s defeat.

“Fine, I, Ye Liangchen, swear by my Daoist heart that I will come in first in this Qi Sect competition!”

Li Xiaobai spoke indifferently, as if he was merely speaking of a trivial matter.

The throng of cultivators was astounded beyond measure. They could swear on their lives; this had to be the most casual Daoist heart oath they had ever witnessed in their lives, elevating a mere matter of pride to a commitment affecting one’s own future.

Who exactly was this person to possess such confidence?

By making a Daoist heart oath directly, wasn’t he implying that all the others could only vie for second place?

“Your confidence seems excessively high. The talents gathered at the Three Sects Tournament far exceed your imagination. This action of yours is akin to trapping yourself, I’m afraid. After today, your future cultivation journey may well be fraught with difficulties!”

A sinister voice carried over, coming from a figure in a black robe who exuded a chilling presence.

This feeling was all too familiar to Li Xiaobai. It was the aura of an Evil Cultivator he had encountered in the Northern Region. The person in the black robe was indeed an Evil Cultivator.

“Liangchen doesn’t bother talking to nobodies. Wait until you have reached the feet of Liangchen before you come crawling,” Li Xiaobai retorted, hands clasped behind his back, his arrogance soaring to the extreme as if he viewed all things in the world with disdain.

“You…”

“I am Ji Wuqing, a True Disciple of the Evil Sect, Evil Third. May I inquire which sect you hail from?”

The black-robed figure trembled with rage, having never encountered such a brazen and arrogant individual.

“There’s no need for you to know that. All you need to know is that my name is Ye Liangchen!”

Li Xiaobai waved his hand dismissively, bypassed the man in the black robe, and made his way into the city gates.

To swear with one’s Dao heart was no trivial matter, it proved that he indeed had the confidence and strength. Several guards stepped aside, their faces alight with smiles as they presented Li Xiaobai with the registration booklet for him to fill out.

“Little brother, we’re counting on you, definitely take down Li Xiaobai, I’ve long found him irksome!”

“Don’t worry, with Liangchen making his move, I’ll sort everything out for you clear and plain,” Li Xiaobai said with a cheerful laugh, casually writing ‘Li Xiaobai is awesome’ in the name column of the form.

The guards did not check the content of the booklet, responding with smiles and watching Li Xiaobai leave with eyes full of reverence.

Evil Cultivator Number Three was once again ignored. He could see that Ye Liangchen wasn’t just posturing, but genuinely didn’t consider him a threat. In his eyes, Evil Cultivator Number Three didn’t even merit attention.

A cold light flickered in his eyes. Very good, Ye Liangchen, is it? Shortly, you will understand what happens when you offend an Evil Sect Cultivator!

In the city, at the Qi Sect’s sect entrance.

Li Xiaobai pulled Ji Wuqing out from his embrace. After consuming the discarded Poison Pill, this damn chicken’s spirit had become extremely listless. In its own words, its bloodlines and the medicinal properties of the elixirs were in conflict, leading to a temporary blockage and extremely poor circulation of its bloodlines.

Put simply, it was constipated.

About this, Li Xiaobai was quite speechless. After all, it was of the Phoenix Bloodline, and yet it was laid low by the most basic Poison Pill, a complete embarrassment to the Phoenix lineage.

Fortunately, there was no line in front of the Qi Sect.

Due to the slow filtering process at the city gates, not many cultivators were admitted, and it took nearly two hours for a single cultivator to enter. Hence, the number of cultivators waiting inside the hall for the competition was dwindling.

By the time Li Xiaobai arrived, he was able to go directly into the hall and begin preparing for the competition.

Quite a few cultivators were stationed in the hall. The competition here wasn’t much different from the Elixir Sect’s; it involved using the Qi Sect’s provided materials to refine Magic Treasures. The higher the grade of the refined Magic Treasure, the higher the rank one would obtain.

The model was almost identical to that of the Elixir Sect, and Li Xiaobai knew it well, casually picking a corner to sit down in.

The cultivators around were resting with closed eyes, awaiting the arrival of others.

Every few minutes, a cultivator would enter the hall, and Li Xiaobai spotted the same black-robed Evil Cultivator from before. Based on his position, he should have still had two hours to wait.

It seemed that the Evil Cultivator had used some trick to come in early.

“Ye Liangchen, bet you didn’t expect this, I too have sworn with my Dao heart, and in this Artifact Refining competition, my rank will surely not fall behind Li Xiaobai’s!” the man in the black robe said in a sinister tone.

“I’m not just going to surpass Li Xiaobai, but I’m also going to humiliate you and break your path to cultivation!”

“If it makes you happy, that’s fine. The competition is about to start, don’t disturb Liangchen,” Li Xiaobai said indifferently, without lifting an eyelid.

The man in the black robe’s complexion turned green with rage, but he said nothing more. Once the competition began, he would make Li Xiaobai pay!

“Alright, gentlemen, you are all pillars of talent from the Immortal Spirit Continent. I am honored that you have come to participate in the Qi Sect’s competition. Enough idle chatter, let’s start the Artifact Refining. The time limit is one incense candle!” the Qi Sect Elder said slowly as he flicked his finger and lit an incense candle, sending up a thin wisp of blue smoke.

The competition officially began.

Flames rose from the hands of cultivators, as cautious melting of materials was the first step in Artifact Refining. Even a small mistake could ruin the materials, so it was imperative to maintain one hundred percent focus.

Watching the busy figures all around, Li Xiaobai smiled slightly, flipped his wrist, and pulled out a large stick.

Mere mortals, prepare to experience the terror of being dominated by the Chaotic Wind Hammer Technique!